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Love him or loathe him for his roles in "Pretty in Pink" and "St. Elmo's Fire," McCarthy has kept a relatively lower profile over the last 20 years than chums like Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall and Rob Lowe. Hollywood talk had it that McCarthy was always the outsider of the gang. (Why? Jealousy over "Mannequin?")

But if you're a long-time fan of McCarthy, you're in luck. He's keeping an online diary of the first week of shooting of "Lipstick Jungle" at Slate.com. Click here to read the first day's entry. The series, based on a novel by Candace Bushnell, airs Thursday nights on NBC.

Take a quick glance through and it's obvious McCarthy is a talented writer who isn't shy about sharing the self-deprecating moments. "Next came a wardrobe fitting and camera test -- during which Candace announced, 'I wouldn't f--- you in those shoes,' and then walked out for a cigarette..."

TOP 5 ANDREW MCCARTHY MOVIES OF THE 80s:

5. PRETTY IN PINK (1986): "I believed in you. I just didn't believe in me."4. LESS THAN ZERO (1987): "Do you know that you girls have televisions between your legs?"

3. ST. ELMO'S FIRE (1985): "Marriage is a concept invented by people who were lucky to make it to 20 without being eaten by dinosaurs."

2. CLASS (1983): "Why am I such a turd?"

1. WEEKEND AT BERNIES (1989): "How do you like that? The guy gets laid more times dead than I do alive."

About this blog

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times correspondent Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to big hair.